I wake up an hour later to see that Luke is indeed sat in the chair, still holding our baby.
“Hey,” I say as I clear my throat.
“Hey yourself,” Luke says as he looks to me.
“How is he?”
“Well, he’s still sleeping, just as I said that he would be.”
“Okay smart-ass.” I prop myself up on the pillows so that I am in more of a sitting position.
“Can I get you anything?” Luke asks me.
“A drink of water would be good.” Luke stands and lays our baby in a crib which is beside my bed. He then pours me a glass of water and hands it to me. I take a long glug of the cool liquid, passing him back the glass when I am finished. He puts it onto a little table on the other side of my bed and sits beside me, taking my hand in his.
“Thank you,” he says randomly.
“What are you thanking me for?” I ask.
“For giving me a son. For allowing me to be part of both of your lives, and for coming back to me.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Luke. I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t want to.” I give him a small smile and he places a kiss on the back of my hand.
“I promise that I will always look after both of you.”
“I know.” If he keeps this up, then I am going to start crying. Bloody hormones. I need to change the subject before I end up a snotty mess. “Hey, I thought of a name.”
“Oh yeah?” Luke looks at me quizzically, clearly waiting for me to tell him.
“Oliver.”
“Hmmm. Oliver…” He repeats the name as if he is mulling over the idea of calling our son that. I nod at him, unsure of whether he likes it or not. He stands up off of the bed and goes over to the crib. “Well, baby boy, it looks like you officially have a name. Welcome to the world, Oliver Sanders.”
“You like it?” I ask, astonished that it was that easy to pick a name that we both like.
“I love it.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I am allowed to leave the hospital the day after giving birth to Oliver, and I am currently sat in the lounge at Luke’s house. Although, I should call it our house, seeing as I moved back in four months ago.
Mine and Luke’s relationship has gone from strength to strength. It’s funny that even after ten years we can still make our bond stronger. Luke is in the kitchen, making us both a drink, and I have just put Oliver down in his moses basket for a nap. He has just been fed, so I should have at least an hour to myself before he decides to wake up again. It seems that Oliver is something of a ‘milk monster’ and so far has demanded to be fed every two hours.
I sit back and allow my eyes to close. I am exhausted. I haven’t been able to fully rest since the birth, and all I want to do is catch up on some sleep. With my eyes closed, my mind starts to drift off, until I hear Luke come into the lounge. I open my eyes as he is setting our drinks on the coffee table. He smiles and comes to sit beside me. He puts his arm around my shoulders, and I snuggle into his side.
“Mmmm,” I mumble at the feel of his arm wrapped around me.
“Why don’t you go and get some sleep, babe?” Luke suggests. “I can feed Oliver when he wakes up.” I decided not to breast feed seeing as my milk hasn’t come in yet, so Oliver has been drinking formula.
“I’m comfy here,” I say as I move my arm around Luke’s waist and keep my grip firm. He chuckles, making my heart warm from the sound. As we sit in contented silence, there is a knock at the door which disturbs us. I groan at the uninvited interruption. Luke kisses the top of my head and removes his arm from around me.
“I better go and see who that is,” he says as he starts to get up off of the sofa.
“Do you have to?” I whine. “We haven’t been home long.” I am aware that I sound like a sulking teenager, but I don’t care. I just wanted an hours’ peace, but it seems I am not going to be allowed that.
“I’ll get rid of whoever it is quickly,” Luke says with a wink as he leaves the lounge. I let out a loud sigh and flop back against the sofa. It is only when I hear him open the door and I hear the voice on the other side that I realise that we are not going to be able to get rid of them quickly.
“Darling,” my mother says as she waltzes into the lounge, coming over to give me a hug.
